The unit of survival is organism plus environment. We are learning by bitter experience that the organism which destroys its environment destroys itself. – Gregory Bateson
Skateboard Sense is a safety film. The skating is stylish bankriding and nose wheelies and it’s just a great window into a time before skating was becoming more radical. So the action here could be from the sixties with a little shorter hair and clay wheels. Amazingly the music selection fits the skating style perfectly, the movie even starts with a nifty cool surf-instrumental that I didn’t know before. It’s a very competendly crafted tune. The other music is blues rock and slapstick/silent-movies oldtime music. A Sid Davis Production.
Today I googled for Vincent Bell’s name because I couldn’t believe Danelectro didn’t mention him in their promo for the Coral Hornet re-issue now called Dead-On-67. He designed those in the sixties along with several other classic and unique models like the Bellzouki (first electric 12-string) and the Coral Sitar (electric guitar with 12 bordun strings and a sitar bridge). Anyway, so I came across this great page by Moe Thomas for the first time. He says he’s a long time friend of Mr. Bell and when he visited the legendary guitar player’s basement he took pictures of the sheer mass of historic and unique guitars and prototypes – many built by Vinnie himself. He’s a very inventive guy thinking up things like the first wahwah or his trademark underwater sound as heard on Moon Gas and apparently various practices and machinery used in guitar manufacturing – all while making a living as one of the east coast’s busiest studio session men.
Here are links to some highlights of the collection:
photo of Sitar prototypes
the sitar-shaped Bellzouki as portrayed on the back of Joe Harnell’s Bossa Now! album
Vinnie Bell’s personal 6-string bass (who knows how many records we have heard this one on?!!!)
one of a kind Coral Scorpio-style 12-string Sitar (a dream instrument of mine)
Vinnie Bell model Stratocaster as presented to him by Fender Musical Instruments (note straight bridge pick-up)
the banjo he played on Louis Armstrong’s recording Hello Dolly
the mandolin Bell played on The Godfather-soundtracks
